Days before the freeze came to the Broads, the beast from the East as they called it, I noticed a swan nest as I came into the Sutton Staithe. The other day I checked on it as I went passed and noticed the dead swan floating by its nest. Sad sight but that is the way of nature, all tooth and claw and all that. However, the swans have built a lot of nests in the reeds in Barton Broad and I noticed a few more up there. It must have been worse than I realised. The swans can't walk across the ice and take off and if it's frozen then they are stuck there to freeze and starve to death.
Furthermore, as I walked around Gays Staithe today, I could not help but notice more and more dead animals. Even dead squirrel in trees.
I have never seen this before on the Norfolk Broads and it is really quite bizarre.
This photo shows just how bad it got for the the little critters.